Wealthy and Well-Known Podcast

Hosted by Rory & AJ Vaden

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669

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Nov 2026

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About the show

Welcome to The Wealthy and Well-Known Podcast — hosted by Rory Vaden and AJ Vaden, co-founders of Brand Builders Group. This is the show for mission-driven messengers who want to build reputation and revenue at the same time. Whether you're launching a book, scaling a business, or trying to become a recognized expert in your space, you'll learn how to craft a Monetized Personal Brand™ that drives massive impact. Each episode features real coaching, case studies from our 1-on-1 clients, and insider strategies from 8-figure entrepreneurs, viral speakers, New York Times bestselling authors, and trusted BBG partners. You'll hear directly from the minds behind some of today's most influential personal brands. Subscribe and turn on notifications — because your message matters, and the world needs to know your name.

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60 recent

November 3, 2026Episode 4830 min

Giving It Away: The Counterintuitive Business Strategy of Generosity

What can you give before someone becomes a customer? Rory and AJ Vaden discuss generosity as a business strategy and a daily practice. Rory shares why teaching people what you know can build trust. AJ offers a way to examine your own giving through money, time, and information, including the form she has found hardest to give. Listen for a practical conversation about sharing your expertise , building relationships, and noticing what the person in front of you actually needs .

October 27, 2026Episode 4735 min

Tyler Dickerhoof: How Insecurity Shows Up in Your Leadership

Tyler Dickerhoof spent years responding to difficult moments by putting his head down and pushing harder. As he began to examine that pattern, he saw its effect on the people around him. Tyler joins Rory Vaden to discuss The Things We Hide and the four ways he says insecurity can appear in leadership: intensity, insensitivity, inactivity, and isolation. They talk about recognizing those responses, acknowledging them honestly, and asking others to help you see what you may be missing. Tyler also shares how he built his coaching and speaking work gradually, beginning with a book club and making room for the family life he wanted along the way. Read Tyler's book: https://www.tylerdickerhoof.com/book

October 20, 2026Episode 4639 min

Legacy Over Leverage

What would it take for your business to thrive after you step away? Rory and AJ Vaden discuss the choices founders make when they want to build something lasting. Beginning with a visit from their sons, they explore who might carry a company forward, how to prepare future leaders, and why the purpose guiding a business has to be understood beyond the founder. AJ shares how she communicated a new vision to their team. Rory explains the people, processes, and products a business needs to operate without its founders. Together, they consider what a sale or succession can mean for the company and the people whose lives are tied to it.

October 6, 2026Episode 4535 min

How Your Personal Brand Attracts the Right Team

A job posting tells candidates what they'll do. Your reputation gives them a sense of who they'll do it with. Rory and AJ Vaden discuss how leaders can use their personal brands to attract the right people and build a team that stays. AJ shares what strong candidates ask during interviews, why she has become more visible in Nashville while hiring locally, and how she writes recruitment letters that explain the vision behind an open role. They also explore honest job expectations, fair compensation, and ways a smaller company can create opportunities that appeal to talented people. Learn more at FreeBrandCall.com .

September 29, 2026Episode 4433 min

Maggie Berghoff: How to Build a Business Around the Life You Want

Maggie Berghoff built her company around the life she wanted to live. What began as a one-on-one health coaching practice grew into a multi-seven-figure business that now helps health professionals build companies of their own. In this conversation, Maggie joins Rory Vaden to explain how she created a high-ticket offer before she had a large audience, why she eventually focused the company around one audience, and how repeating the same proven launch helped her grow without constantly reinventing her marketing. They also discuss the shift from organic content to paid advertising, Maggie's decision to invest as much as $180,000 during a launch, and the simple way a new entrepreneur can begin serving people today. Learn more about Maggie: https://maggieberghoff.com/

September 22, 2026Episode 4337 min

Jamie Maglietta: How to Get Booked on TV

Before a producer books you for television, they may have to convince an entire team that you're the right person for the segment. What can they find that helps them make that case? Rory Vaden sits down with Jamie Maglietta, an Emmy-nominated producer and media strategist with experience at CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC, to unpack how experts earn media opportunities. They discuss what makes a pitch relevant, why articles and podcast interviews help establish credibility, and how to build relationships with journalists before you have something to promote. Jamie also explains how preparing your message helps you respond naturally on camera—even when a segment gets shorter or the conversation takes an unexpected turn. Get Jamie's Camera Ready Checklist: https://www.oncamready.com/

September 15, 2026Episode 4234 min

Why Your Personal Brand Matters More When You're the CEO

Your personal brand affects more than leads and followers when you're the person leading the company. In this episode, Rory and AJ Vaden talk about how a CEO's reputation influences recruiting, culture, vision, and the way people understand the organization itself. AJ also shares the four responsibilities she is prioritizing in her own role as CEO of Brand Builders Group and why storytelling has become one of them. If you lead a company and have wondered whether building your personal brand is worth the time, this conversation gives you a much broader way to think about the return.

September 8, 2026Episode 4141 min

Hiring, Delegating & Building a Team That Protects Your Brand

If you're doing everything yourself because hiring feels too expensive, Rory and AJ Vaden want you to reconsider what "expensive" actually means . In this episode, they unpack the real cost of holding onto work too long, Rory's 30X Rule for delegation, and how fear and perfectionism keep entrepreneurs from building the capacity they need to grow. They also discuss underperformance, hiring for skill versus culture, when to start with contractors, and the four distinct skill sets behind a strong personal brand marketing team.

September 2, 2026Episode 4029 min

Niching Down: Why Being for Everyone Means Being for No One

If you're good at a lot of things, choosing one audience or specialty can feel like you're closing doors. But the broader your business becomes, the harder it can be for someone to understand exactly why they should choose you. In this episode, Rory and AJ Vaden talk about why niching down makes you easier to find, remember, refer, and buy from. They also unpack why specialists can command a premium, what AI means for generalists, and how to choose a lane when you have several things you could genuinely do well.

August 25, 2026Episode 3938 min

Jim Kwik: How to Build a Limitless Brain in the Age of AI

For years, Jim Kwik believed he had a "broken brain." That story eventually led him on a search to understand how the brain learns, remembers, focuses, and changes. Today, he is one of the world's leading experts on accelerated learning. In this conversation, Jim and Rory talk about the experiences that shaped his mission, the danger of letting our limitations become part of our identity, and why learning how to learn may be one of the most important skills we can develop. They also get into AI, cognitive offloading, morning routines, and Jim's belief that the rise of artificial intelligence may actually make our humanity more valuable.